The Pier
by TwentiesGirl29
Summary: Mai and Joey begin their story after Joey returns from his journey with the Pharaoh and Mai from Europe. The "true" beginning to Mai and Joey's story post-cannon. It all started at the Pier. Review and favorite!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello there lovelies! Gah I missed you guys all so much. I don't want to babble, so I'll get straight to the point. Here is completely edited, renovated, and overall better version of, "The Pier!" Review and PM me if you guys have any questions regarding the story. Constructive criticism will be much obliged. Also, feel free to follow the story!_

The Pier

The day is beginning to end on Domino pier. Although the sun has not yet set, the sky has begun to turn a light shade of pink. The only thing you can hear in the background is the distant conversations of those trying to enjoy their last moments of summer; before the leaves start browning and jackets and scarves have to be worn. Domino pier has been around for as long as any can remember. And every year, it experiences the same events over and over again, without fault.

It sees its fair share of young teenagers going back to school in the fall, adversity during the winter because of the heavy snow and striking winds, spring seems to melt and calm everything down as people start to shed their layers, and as always, summertime is the season for love, newfound or rekindled.

Watching that same sunset is a young girl of 19. Her long blond hair is gently blowing in the wind behind her as she leans against the pier's wooden railing. Her violet eyes are so intent on searching the ocean as if it held some answer she was looking for. She's left all the leather and black that she got accustomed to a while back and is now back to her white lacy strapless top and purple miniskirt. She's also ditched the jacket and the boots since summer is still around. She likes to think that she's matured and now wears a pair of very "mature" purple heels to prove it. Anyone looking at her will attest that she is indeed a knockout. In fact, a group of older gentlemen sitting at the ice-cream shop across the pier can be found discussing just that and also whether or not they have the nerve to approach her. But alas, she's no fool. She's used to her fair share of men wanting to talk to her and has for _long_ not cared if they were discussing her.

She's been gone for a long time trying to figure everything out and she's come back to Domino still not having a clue about what it is she is trying to find. She's traveled all around the world exploring different places, some alone and others with a new friend that she still keeps in contact with, all in the hopes that she might find whatever it is, or whoever it is, that will make her feel whole again. And at times, she'll catch a look in someone's eye, the back of someone's head, or ever a glimpse before someone turns the corner that gives her hope, but it always leaves just as quickly as it comes.

_"Mai, you need to go home," she said not even bothering to look up from her magazine. _

_"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean," Mai said obviously backtracking from the Chinese woman's outburst. Vivian finally looked up from her copy of Elle Italia and lowered the rims of her glasses. The two women were sipping cappuccinos at an outdoor café in Italy. Vivian, always the festive one, had actually gotten Mai into the Italian fashion. She still kept her cleavage bearing white tank tops of course, but adapted it to Italian standards, wearing it looser and shorter with a tie on the bottom just above her midriff. Instead of her purple mini skirt, she wore a high-waisted white skirt that hit just above her mid thigh. She even went as far as to trade in her signature purple footwear for a pair of tan gladiator lace up heels. _

_Mai had met this girl named Vivian Wong while she was traveling through Europe. The woman was almost as stubborn and ruthless as Mai, and the two became inseparable since the moment they met at a sandwich shop near the London Eye. But while Vivian enjoyed Europe for its bevy of skinny-pant wearing, accent speaking, Vespa riding men, Mai had different reasons for wanting to travel. _

_"Sweetie, look at yourself. You constantly have one foot on the other side of the door while the other seems to be itching to be anywhere else but here. This seriously needs to stop," she said not relenting as she finally put down the magazine to glare at Mai. _

_"I don't know what you are talking about," Mai said feigning ignorance and turning her nose up at Vivian. What the hell did she know? _

_"Oh come on, you know exactly what I'm talking about! We go out to St. Peter's Basilica and some guy talks to you—you look right through him like he's not even there. We go to visit the Chateau de Chambord and instead of listening to the guide you space out looking out of some stain glass window. We walk around Rome at 1 a.m. on a girls night out for god's sake and you are constantly looking over your shoulder!" _

_"Invalid. It was 1 a.m. and I was looking over my shoulder because I thought some creep was following us," said Mai raising her delicate eyebrow and bringing her frothy cappuccino to her lips._

_"Okay, what about the time we were in St. Tropez and Stephan comes up to you and tells you that you are the most beautiful girl he's ever seen and you just look at him like he has a third nipple?" said Vivian intently looking at Mai through squinted eyes._

_"He was a creep! Who says that to a person you don't know?" said Mai not reeling from her obstinate stance. She never liked try-hards anyway. _

_"What about the time we went to the colosseum with those guys and we literally lose you for an hour Mai? We ended up finding you sitting on some rock next to the lion's den staring up at the sky!" _

_"My feet were tired! I had a long day. And plus, that guy kept trying to hold my hand," Mai said, although her confidence was faltering. It was a really pretty night and the stars were out, although she didn't want to say that. She'd sound like some romantic nut case._

_"Well alright Miss Smarty-pants how do you explain the time we were shopping? Hmm? I turn around to look at a blouse for two seconds when you completely ditch me!" said Vivian getting up from her comfortable sitting position to put her hands on the delicate lace covered Italian "tavolo" to get in Mai's face. Vivian was probably the only person alive that had the nerve to do that to Mai. _

_"I'm sorry Vivian! I didn't mean to do that. It's just that I saw—," she started._

_"Mai, that's not the part that worried me. I saw you running after some random blond guy," Vivian was relenting from her tirade and her eyes were softening, "And don't tell me you knew him." _

_He reminded her of someone familiar._

_"I always get the feeling that you think you're alone somehow, even when you're not," Vivian said resting her cheek onto her palm._

_"Okay Viv, I think you're getting a little too into the Italian mood. You're not Shakespeare honey," Mai said smiling into her cup. _

_"That's English Ms. Know-it-all," said Vivian glowering at Mai._

_"Whatever. They all talk about the same stuff anyway."_

_Vivian huffed as she brushed a hair away from her face. "My point is, is that you constantly seem as though you're walking on eggshells. And if that's because you feel lonely, then well… Find someone who makes you feel not so alone anymore!" _

_If only it were that simple. _

_"Thanks for the advice Viv, but having you around is enough company even for a stadium of people," said Mai. Vivian had made a lot more observations that she had let on. But, Mai realized deep down that she had a point. A lot of those nights that she spent in their living quarters, she had actually spent on the rooftop of the building. She'd lay there at night restless, unable to fall asleep. _

_On colder nights, she just brought along her blanket and watched her small breaths materialize in front of her as they left her mouth. She'd think about her life so far, and reminisce. A lot of the time, the faces of those she'd encountered would pop in her head. She'd see Mokuba, Allister, Tea, and Yugi among others. She'd often think of Valon as well. She wondered if he was still living in that beach house she had dropped him off at after everything settled down. But more often than not, her thoughts would always lead her back to one individual. _

_"Mai, I know that you're going through something. I'm not going to press you on it because I'm your friend. And, I know that I tease you a lot but I really do care for you like a sister. But, whatever this is that is going on with you, whatever this is that you are trying to find, you're not going to find it here," Vivian said getting closer to Mai and looking intently into her eyes. _

_But, she didn't even know what it was she needed to fix? She'd left so many loose ends that she didn't even know where to start untangling. _

_"And I know that team M&V won't be the same without you because… well you are the M. But, hey! We can travel to Rome, and Paris, and Amsterdam some other time," said Vivian perking up and putting her cat eye sunglasses back on._

_"What about you? What are you going to do when I'm gone?" she asked not even realizing what it implied._

_"Are you kidding me honey? You might be the hot blond in our duo but this ain't "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds." I'm perfectly capable of getting some rich Pierre back to my room in the French Riviera by myself too, you know?" Vivian said jutting her chin out and putting her hands onto her hips. Mai had to laugh. _

_"Well, what can I say to that? I'll miss third-wheeling on all of your exciting sexual escapades?" she said smirking. As much as she enjoyed the company, she really was getting sick of sleeping in the living room with ear buds on. Surprisingly, walls in France are pretty thin._

_"Here's what you can say," started Vivian getting serious and taking off both hers and Mai's sunglasses. Mai smiled in anticipation. _

_"Au revoir," Vivian said with a sly smirk._

_"Sayonara," Mai followed along laughing because she knew the routine inside out by now. _

_"Arrivederci."_

_"Hasta la Vista."_

_"Goodbye and good riddance!" they both yelled and fell into a fit of laughter causing the people around them in the café to look a them as if they had grown a third head. _

_They both laughed until they finally calmed down grabbing their stomachs to ease the cramps. Vivian put her hands on Mai's shoulders and smiled a bittersweet smile._

_"Now scoot! Go find whatever it is that makes you feel like you want to stay. And when you've found it, you know where to find me."_

_And as much as Mai wanted to deny it, she knew it was true; whatever that meant._

0ooooo0


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hello lovelies! Back again with "the day after updates"! Since the story is mainly complete for the next few chapters, feel free to come and check back the next day expecting an update. Or better yet, follow the story;) Sorry... just had to get that in there. Shameless, I know. Review and enjoy!_

_Cheers,_

_TwentiesGirl_

_Chapter 2:_

"So we did it you guys," said Tristan with his arms above his head as he stretched out his torso.

"Didn't it seem like just yesterday that we were at Yugi's gramps' game shop when Kaiba walked in?" asked Joey with his hands deep inside his blue windbreaker jacket.

"We've really come a long way, haven't we you guys?" sighed Tea. She and Serenity were walking together with their arms looped.

"Yeah, we have," said Yugi stopping in his tracks in surprise. He really is his own person now. Not to say that Atem was ever anything less than great to have around, but it was just that he was really alone now. He didn't have anyone to lean on whenever he felt scared or intimidated anymore. The thought was scary yet exhilarating.

"Doesn't it just seem so sad though? Like a story ending?" asked Tea winsomely pouting. It was sad, no denying that, Yugi thought. But was it really a story ending?

"No," said Yugi. Everyone turned around to look at him.

"It's just a different one!" laughed Yugi catching up to them.

"What is this? 'A chapter ending, but a new one is beginnin'? Pretty cliché don't cha think Yug?" teased Joey ruffling Yugi's hair while laughing.

"No of course not!" Yugi said laughing as he finally broke from Joey's headlock. "This is just a story that is not about the Great Pharaoh. Everyone has their own story."

"Well said Yugi," said Duke.

"Ahhh I don't know about you guys, but I'm starvin' over here. I haven't eaten in hours!" Joey said as he turned to walk backwards facing the group.

"I don't think _one _hour can really be classified as _hours_ Joey," Serenity said laughing into her hand. Everyone laughed.

"Hey! You're my sister. What happened to helpin' a sibling out sis? Don't hurt thy sibling, do unto others as you would to your self, hakuna matata?" said Joey in mock anger.

"Oh, Joey that stomach of yours really is endless. And by the way, I don't think _unto_ is a word," said Tea monotonously.

"Well _excuse_ me grammar police. I'm just sayin' here. I am a man and men have to eat and—why did everyone stop?" The group came to an abrupt stop as they all noticed something up ahead of them behind Joey's shoulder. Or rather; a someone.

Joey stares at them blankly and scratches his head. "Uh? Anybody there?" However, when his friends still didn't say anything, he abruptly turns around and sees what they were staring at.

About 50 feet away from where he was standing was a tall blond figure with a familiar looking purple miniskirt and lacy white top ensemble. Although she was facing away from the group, Joey knew it was her the moment he saw blond hair. He stiffened immediately.

Yugi was not the only one who took notice of Joey's immediate change in demeanor. However, he _was_ the only one who spoke up.

"And this is _his_ story," Yugi smiled.

0ooooo0


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Day after updates! Day after updates! Yay! So before I let you guys run wild and read Chapter 3, I just wanted to give readers who read the previous "The Pier" a heads up. Do not skim through Chapters 1, 2, and 3 just because it looks mildly similar in some parts. The story is taking a very different turn and I don't want you guys to miss anything important. So. Moral of the story? Don't skim! Reread you guys! Other than that, review, favorite, and follow if you guys are enjoying it so far. _

_Cheers,_

_TwentiesGirl_

Chapter 3:

Joey stood there not moving a muscle, not even daring to take a breath.

Why was she here? Was she still the same? What's she been up to this past year? The questions raced through his head, even the one that was barely had a voice. Was she _with_ somebody now?

"Joey? Aren't you going to—" started Tea.

"Mai!" he called out running towards her direction. He had no clue what to say to her, but the moment that he realized she was there, the space between them literally started to disappear. As he got closer, he realized that she looked unreal, somehow. The closest that he could come to explaining it was that it was like putting a face on Christmas. You know it because it looks so familiar, but something about it just seems unreal, like it was going to disappear.

He heard a soft gasp coming from her direction. She didn't turn around. Would she still look the same? He wasn't a superficial guy, but even _he_ had to admit that a tiny part of him hoped she did. He remembered one night a long time ago after Duelist Kingdom Tristan, Duke, Yugi, and he had a sleepover over at Yugi's grandpa's game shop. They talked about girls that night. Tristan was going on about some purple haired girl named Miho and Duke was bragging about all the girls that he's dated. When it got to Yugi's turn, he blushed bright red. Obviously Joey knew who he would talk about.

When they had finished teasing Yugi, Yugi finally asked him.

_"Okay well what about you hot shot?" asked Yugi, his face red from embarrassment and his hair rumpled from all the noogies that he was receiving. _

_"What about me man?" Joey said with a bright devious smile on his face as he stretched his arms above his head and bent his body backwards slightly. He honestly had no clue what he was getting himself into. He'd been too busy teasing Yugi that he didn't realize what was coming. He stretched his arms above his head and bent his body backwards slightly. _

_"Well, who do you have a crush on?" he said playfully crossing his arms in a huff. Yugi sat down angrily on his swiveling computer chair and crossed one leg over the other. _

_"Oh yeah we haven't gotten to you yet," said Duke in realization. _

_"Oh come on now you guys. Let's not embarrass him any more. We all know that Joey's incapable of talking to anything female," said Tristan haughtily elbowing him in the ribs before Joey pushed him backwards onto the bed. Tristan's unexpected fall onto Yugi's bed caused pillows and blankets to billow around him. _

_"I don't see you with a swarm of girls Tristan!" said Joey. He wasn't angry, just relieved that the topic had ventured away from his love life. But for good measure, he balled up his fists and put them up. _

_"Do you want a piece of me knuckle-head?" said Tristan with Yugi's space ship covered blanket still covering the top of his head. _

_"Bring it!" yelled Joey. They both fell onto the cream-colored carpeted floor wrestling._

_"You guys need to cool it, my grandpa's gonna wake up! He has to open the shop up early tomorrow morning," said Yugi waving his arms frantically as he jumped from his desk chair. He had jumped too quickly and in turn, caused the chair to tip over. _

_"Sorry Yugi, we'll try to keep it down," said Duke as he was finally able to pull Joey off of Tristan. He was speaking for both Joey and Tristan who were still growling at each other from across the room. After a few moments, they all relaxed and sat back down on the floor in a circle except for Joey. Joey leaned his back against Yugi's wall and stuffed his hands into his pajama bottom's pockets. _

_"Man, since when did you get ripped?" said Tristan as he rubbed the back of his neck where Joey had previously been holding in a chokehold. _

_"Huh? What do you mean?" Joey asked looking down onto his body. Since it mid-summer, he didn't wear a shirt because it was too hot. He hadn't really noticed before, but he did get more muscular. He was never fat, just slightly scrawny. He and Duke both worked out each other three times a week, Joey took it a step farther and went running the other four days of the week. He wasn't trying to get in-shape or anything (although it was a plus), running alone in early morning Domino without anyone around was just relaxing. The quiet, slightly dark atmosphere interrupted by his short, tired breaths just made it easier for him to think. _

_"Never mind. Okay, so spill it Joey. Who's the girl?" Tristan asked as he sat cross-legged Indian style on the floor. He had rested his elbows on his knees and was cradling his chin in his hands. Tristan was also wearing only pajama bottoms, but unlike Joey, he had taken a vow to never wear socks unless he absolutely needed to (like when he wore shoes). _

_"Really you guys?" he asked. Oh great. He thought he got off the hook. What was it about sleepovers? Why does everyone feel as though they are entitled to pry just because we're all wearing pajama bottoms?_

_"Okay, let's take it easy on him guys," said Yugi trying to interject. "What kind of girls do you like Joey?" Joey could tell Yugi wasn't trying to be malicious. His friend had picked up the fallen desk chair and was now sitting on it while resting one elbow on his knee and cradling his chin. Joey felt his body relax a bit as he finally gave in. Geez. Peer pressure. _

_"I don't know, Yug. I guess really haven't thought about it before," he said shrugging his shoulders. He spotted one of Yugi's tiny basketballs and was throwing it over his head systematically. _

_"Like physically. What do you like for a girl to have?" said Tristan trying to help. Joey thought about it. What did he look for in a girl? And by "looking," he assumed that they meant attractiveness. He guessed that he just knew whenever he saw a girl if he thought she was attractive or not. _

_"I'll go, if it makes you feel any better," Duke cleared his throat before he sat up from his position leaning on the ground. He put on his best "professor" speaking voice. The only thing he was missing was a podium. _

_"Okay. I like girls who are short and little. I also prefer them to be long haired brunettes with nice eyes," Duke said._

_"What about their face? Or their body?" Tristan leading him on, leaning one arm against the bed frame._

_"Mmmm I think I like it when a girl looks innocent. Like big eyes with little lips? I think it's cute," Duke said contemplating it._

_"Body?" _

_"I like slender bodies. Short, and slender," he said nodding. Well doesn't he just deserve a standing ovation, thought Joey. _

_"Okay, good. Now it's your turn Joey. You heard what Duke said, what do you like?" asked Tristan. _

_"Okay," hesitated Joey. "You know what, why don't you guys ask me questions and I'll answer 'em? I think it'll be easier that way 'cuz I seriously don't know where to start."_

_"Alright, what do you like a girl's face to look like?" Yugi asked good-heartedly. _

_"Mmm," he started contemplating it. "I like pretty eyes and plump lips. Oh! And I think little noses are cute."_

_"What about her hair?" Tristan asked. _

_"I think I like long hair," Joey said fingering the mini basket ball in his hands. It's true; he always thought that it was pretty when a girl's hair reached all the way down her back. _

_"Color?"_

_"Mmmmm. Blonds. Yeah, I think I like blond hair," he said rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't really thinking about what he was saying. He guessed that he really did prefer blonds to brunettes. Not that brunettes weren't pretty or anything like that, but there was something about long blond hair that made him just want to run his hands through it. He always liked seeing it blow in the wind too. _

_"Body type?" _

_"I think that I like curves," he said. Again, he thought that straight slender girls were fine too, but there was something in his hormones that just made him prefer curviness to slimness. Especially, a girl's upper-half he thought cheekily as he wiped away the smile that was creeping onto his face with his hand. _

_"Chubby chaser," coughed Tristan before Yugi smacked the back of his head. Joey rolled his eyes. _

_"You know what I mean moron! And, I guess I like pretty tall girls," said Joey. He had never really given it any thought, or at least pieced it together, but now that he thought about it, he guessed that was the type that he liked; physically anyway._

_"Wow, so Joey likes curvy blonds. Who would have thought?" said Duke to Tristan. They were sitting next to each other. Tristan's back was to the bed and Duke was next to the floor lamp. _

_"Alright, so I guess that's that then?" said Joey clapping his hands together, relieved that he was no longer being interrogated. _

_"No way! We all spilled the beans Joey; it's your turn. Who are you crushing on?" asked Duke leaning back against the wall of Yugi's room and idly playing with the lamp cord._

_"Geez! I'm not crushing on anyone alright?" he said. Joey sank down to the floor. He had on his favorite blue and red-stripped pajama bottoms that his dad tried to throw out so many times while he was at school. When was this going to end? His friends weren't interrogated this much. _

_"What about that girl Serena in homeroom?" asked Tristan actually curious now He snapped his fingers as a pop thought into his head. "I know that she has a crush on you because I heard her talking about it with her friend."_

_"Serena likes Joey? She's a pretty cute girl," said Yugi curiously. He blushed when Joey looked over at him. _

_"Not interested," Joey said not even thinking twice. He honestly wasn't interested in any of the girls at school. He wasn't choosy, but he had always liked more mature women even though he was only 16. He knew that he could be a goofball, but during times when he wanted to be serious, he would rather have a real woman than have a giggling little girl to have a conversation with. But even though this was the case, he still felt uneasy with the questions for some reason. _

_"She's cute though. I thought that you'd be into the brown haired blue eyed girls?" asked Duke winking at Joey, leading him on. _

_"Hey, I think you've mistaken me for someone else," said Joey taking the bait and winking at Yugi from his position on the floor. Yugi stopped shuffling his cards. He gave a surprise gulp. Joey and Duke both laughed and gave each other a high five from across the room. _

_"Hey, hey I see what you're trying to do. Don't change the subject," said Tristan leaning forward and wagging his finger at Joey. He was definitely interested now because of Joey's evasiveness. _

_"So there's really no one at school that you are crushing on?" Duke asked perplexed and scratching his head._

_"No, there isn't. Really," said Joey honestly. He was staring up at the constellations stickers on Yugi's ceiling trying to figure out their rhyme or reason._

_"What about girls just around Domino? There has to be someone," said Tristan scrunching his eyebrows together and clicking his tongue. "Oh I know! What about Yuki? That girl who works at the arcade? I've seen her hitting on you."_

_"Wait, wait, wait. Yuki likes Joey?" said Duke clearly dumbfounded. "I've been trying to talk to her for the past month! She's way too cute to like Joey!" _

_"Hey, hey, hey. Just 'cuz girls can't resist the muscles doesn't mean it's my fault," he said as he flexed his biceps. _

_"Okay, okay get it out of your system. Just because you've been going to the gym, doesn't mean you have to rub it in," said Yugi rolling his eyes and laughing. _

_"No, Yugi. I think he has a point. In comparison to his scrawny chicken arms he had before, I'd say he's mildly improved," said Tristan feigning seriousness as he was rubbing his chin with his pointer finger._

_"Hey! Ever hear of hating the game, not the player?" Joey said still conceitedly flexing his muscles at Tristan playfully. Tristan jumped up from his sitting position, as did Joey. _

_"Alright you guys, let it go. Don't let him try to change the subject," said Duke separating the two. _

_Joey thought they forgotten. He sighed. Maybe if he let them get it out of their system, they'd get bored and let it go. _

_"So how about Yuki, Joey?" asked Tristan obviously thinking that he had Joey cornered. Joey just closed his eyes and yawned._

_"Nope," he said putting his arms behind his head now. Maybe they'll get tired and fall asleep._

_"Okay… So it's nobody at school, or even in town," said Duke slowly. "What about that one thing you guys all went to a couple months back? Duelist Kingdom right?"_

_His eyes snapped open and he felt himself intake a breath. His friends didn't notice though because they were too busy trying to think of possible contenders. _

_"Oh yeah Joey! What about at Duelist Kingdom? Did you ever crush on anyone there?" asked Tristan still not catching on._

_"Look, it's late you guys. Why don't we all get some shut-eye huh? You heard Yugi. His gramps is wakin' up early tomorrow morning," said Joey pretending to yawn as he turned to lie on his side. Stay cool. Stay cool. _

_"Oh, not a chance buddy! We got you huh? So who was it?" asked Duke._

_"No, I don't think he's trying to get out of it. There weren't even that many girls around to be honest," said Tristan leaning back deflated._

_"None? Come on there had to be one!" said Duke clearly excited._

_There wasn't anyone, anyone in his league, anyway. _

_"Well… There was Mai Valentine, but that was about it. It was a pretty big dude fest," said Tristan._

_"Mai Valentine! Oh I've seen her before. She's the really hot blond duelist?" asked Duke._

_"That's the one. She's got a killer body and a mouth to match. She's way out of his league though," said Tristan nonchalantly picking at his fingernail. _

_"Where have I heard of her before?" contemplated Duke tapping his fingers against the base of the lamp. "Oh right! I saw her on the T.V. She was in the European dueling circuit right?_

_"Yeah, I think so!" _

_"She's not really my type, but man is she hot."_

_"Have you seen the clothes that she wears?" _

_"I don't think I'd be a guy if I didn't notice that."_

_"Tell me about it! I remember during one of her duels in the European dueling circuit she had on this really low cut tight white—"_

_"Hey, cut it out!" yelled Joey sitting up and glaring at his friends. They all sat in silence staring at him. Did he just do that out loud?_

_"Sorry Joey, I didn't mean to—," started Duke. _

_"Hey… Why did you get so upset like that?" asked Tristan suspiciously as he started to lean forwards toward Joey. _

_Joey knew that he was screwed, but maybe he can weasel himself out of it. He never liked it when people talked about Mai like that. She was an attractive girl, there was no getting around that, but he thought she deserved more respect than the way that men sometimes described her. However, he didn't think that he had said it out loud! _

_"I just—I just don't like hearing you guys talk about her like that. She deserves more respect—any girl does," stammered Joey as he bristled at their comment. He felt himself start to perspire._

_"Yeah… I guess. But that was pretty weird how you got so defensive over her though… You don't think?" said Duke with a sudden look of realization in his eyes as he looked at Tristan._

_"Blond?"_

_"Curvy?"_

_"No! Joey likes Mai!" yelled Tristan and Duke. They both stood up and high fived each other and started to laugh out loud._

_"Shh! You guys! My grandpa!" said Yugi waving his arms again and trying to calm them down._

_Joey covered his head with one of Yugi's pillows. Oh great, this was going to be a long night. _

0ooooo0


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Woot woot! Day after updates! (Round of applause). I hope you guys enjoy this one. Oh, and let me know if you guys like what you see so far. Reviews help me understand if the story is progressing well (and they also give me encouragement to do "day after updates"). Review, favorite, and follow to see where Mai's and Joey's story takes us!_

_Cheers,_

_TwentiesGirl_

Chapter 4:

The moment he saw her turn around he felt his heart drop. She was just as breathtakingly beautiful as he remembered. It was strange thinking about it now, how much they've been through with each other. He'd spent a lot of restless nights alone in his room thinking about everything that took place in that short span of a little over two years. He was only 15 when he met her at Duelist Kingdom. Now he was 17 and his life was completely changed.

At first glance, she looked so gentle and soft, but she was tougher than anyone else he knew. At the same time, however, there was an edge to her sarcasm and wit that he realized was coming from a personal place of hurt even before she went off the deep end. He still couldn't believe that she had left him for DOMA, even though he had come to understanding her reasoning long ago. Seeing her so angry and bitter was like seeing his own failures come back to haunt him. He never realized or even knew _when_ it was that she joined Dartz. Was she lonely and upset just after Battle City? Or did it take longer for it to fester before she felt like she had no other way out? He realized how little he knew about her year away from him.

_"I keep having the same nightmare over and over again Joey and all the while I keep calling to you and you keep walking away!" _Those words and her hurt expression had burned themselves into his memory.

He was supposed to show her that he could be there to protect her. He failed.

A lot of nights, he just laid there staring up at the ceiling consumed with guilt. If he were there for her when she needed someone, none of this would have happened between them. He knew that he wasn't anything more than a friend to her, but at least he could have been there to comfort her any way that he could. He just wanted to make her laugh by saying something stupid.

He tried to drown out the bad thoughts by concentrating on what was at hand. She still had the same silky blond hair that reached all the way down to her waist, the deep violet eyes, the pale porcelain skin, and the plump bee-stung lips that he always remembered. He made sure to look in her eyes, to look past their external beauty. The last time he saw them, they were filled with so much anger. Although he noticed that they were no longer angry, they seemed empty, somehow.

Joey tore his eyes away from her face and looked down at her body. Her skin was probably his favorite feature of hers. It always looked so soft and delicate. He didn't think he'd ever seen skin that creamy or smooth. It just made him want to skim his hands over it. On the nights when he would think about her, that was what he thought about the most, her skin.

That, among other things that made him blush when he started realizing she was right next to him.

But in all honesty, although he _knew_ that he found her so physically attractive, it was the little things that she did that hit the nail in the coffin. The way that she wrinkled her nose when she smiled had his head spinning. Or, the way that she would playfully bite her plush bottom lip and wink after she said something clever. _But, _it was the little moments where he would catch her gazing off into sky that made him miss her most when she was gone. She'd seem so relaxed and serene. It was the only time that he'd seen her without her guard up.

"Joey?" Mai she said to him softly with an unreadable look in her eyes.

"Yeah. It's me," he said just staring back at her with his mouth slightly open. He guessed that whole makeshift "plan will come" thing was out the window. His friends had followed, walking briskly, and were now a few feet behind him.

"Hmm. Not exactly the height of wit and articulation is he?" said Duke leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Maybe if he wasn't talking to someone who tried to steal his soul maybe he'd be a little less tongue-tied," muttered Tristan under his breath. Tea promptly elbowed Tristan in the ribs emanating an immediate "omphf" from him. She glared at him widening her blue eyes as he buckled over holding his stomach.

"Mai how are you? I haven't seen you since Battle City!" gushed Serenity completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere. Joey noticed that it took Mai a second longer than normal to respond to her. When she did, she still had that faraway look in her eyes, as if she were a thousand miles away.

"I've been doing well sweetie, how's life treating you?" she said with a small smile. Joey just crossed his arms and stood by, watching the exchange between his sister and Mai unfold. He knew that his sister had always looked up to Mai. He even remembered one conversation that he had with her over the phone shortly after Battle City.

_"So have you talked to her recently Joey?" asked Serenity._

_Joey was lying on his back on the living room couch. He had his cell phone on speaker and it was lying on his stomach. _

_"Nope. Not since the last time we saw her on the pier before she left," he said pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked around him, at the empty abandoned beer cans and liquor bottles._

_The apartment that he shared with his father was small, to say the least. When his mom and sister left, his father had went to the store to buy cleaning supplies such as Windex and dustpans to try to impose good cleanliness habits upon his son. However, after a few months of failed supervision, it wasn't easy teaching your son while you were half drunk with a beer can in your hand and drunkenly pointing with the other, his father gave up. The cleaning utensils were now deserted in the corner of the apartment gathering dust. _

_"I've been meaning to ask you Joey. What did you say to her after you ran after her?" _

_"Oh, by her car?" he said, snapping out of his reverie. He sat up quickly causing his phone fall off his stomach and dance between his hands as he tried to catch it before it fell onto the floor. _

_"Not much. I just told her in more or less words that I cared for her as a friend and that I hoped to see her soon," he said as he picked up the phone from the floor checking it for scratches. Okay, in much, much less words he conceded. She said that he didn't have to say anything mushy! What was he going to do? Smother her with his friendship speech?_

_"Oh yeah? That's so nice to hear Joey. I've always liked Mai, ever since the day that she helped us come save you at the dock. Remember?" Serenity said._

_"How could I forget?" Joey said shaking his head as he lay back down and swung his long legs to rest on the armrest of the couch. _

_"I think she's so pretty too! Don't you think Joey?"_

_"Uhh. Yeah, she's pretty I guess," he said nervously. He felt himself gulp. Hopefully she couldn't hear it. _

_"I want to look like her when I'm older. You know? Be taller, have a nice body, oh! And I love the way she dresses!" she added. Joey felt his head spinning as he closed his eyes. His little sister was NOT going to be going around dressed like Mai. _

_Okay, so maybe his sister wasn't as well endowed as Mai was, so she wouldn't attract as much attention, but there was NO WAY she was going to be dressing like that regardless._

_"There's NO WAY I'm going to be letting you go around dressed like that Serenity! Do you know how guys are? Do you understand how men think? Men are animals! Let me tell you a story…" _

0ooooo0


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N Hello everybody! So. I guess "day after updates" officially ended with chapter 4 rihgt? No matter! I have a new system called "weekly updates!" (dodges tomatoes). Okay, okay, I'm sorry for the unfavorable change up. But hey, if you guys like the story, a week can't be too bad right? Make sure to review, favorite, and follow (they give me positive reinforcement to keep up with the story) to come along on Mai and Joey's journey with me._

_Cheers, _

_TwentiesGirl_

Chapter 5:

He snapped back into reality.

"Everything's been amazing! I can't believe it's been so long!" said Serenity rushing over to her. "Are you staying here permanently now?" she asked. Mai nodded almost hesitantly.

"Yeah, I live a couple of blocks away from the pier actually; in this little condo on Maybrook and Cranston." He noticed that her violet eyes shifted to him for a split second as she said that before focusing back on Serenity.

Something in Joey warmed. So she's back for good? He stood there silently although he had a million questions that he wanted to ask her. He covered his mouth with his hand for good measure. He had experienced verbal diarrhea in the past and was _not _going to let it happen this time around.

"That's great Mai! We definitely need to hang out and go shopping or something before I leave to go back home," Serenity said excitedly bouncing up and down her red-brown hair bobbing behind her.

"I'll give you a call when everything settles down. Same number right?" she asked tilting her head.

"Yes! Anytime. I leave on the 28th so anytime up until then." Mai smiled a small smile that didn't reach her eyes and nodded. The strong silence ensued. Joey glanced at his friends, they all seemed too speechless, with the exception of Serenity of course, to say anything. Mai looked like she'd rather be anywhere, but here. Tea coughed.

"So Mai, what are you planning on doing for the next week? This is actually our last week of summer and it would be cool if we could all catch up," said Tea trying to alleviate the tense silence ensuing after Serenity stopped talking. It wasn't until he breathed in heavily that he realized he was holding his breath.

Tea was always the motherly type, doting on people to make them feel better. But, there was a ring of sincerity in her voice that made Joey feel not as protective of Mai as he would have if one of his friend said something untoward to her.

"Thanks Tea, but I'm actually going to be pretty busy for the next week. I just moved in to the new place you know? I've got to unpack everything so… maybe sometime after I get settled?" she stated. He knew that she was just being diplomatic. Her tone was friendly enough, but there was a hard look in her violet eyes that kept Tea from insisting.

"Well, if you ever need any help getting everything unpacked we're always here to help you!" said Yugi. Joey smiled. If there was ever a person he could count on to have his back, it was Yugi. They both talked a lot after DOMA, often brining up topics they both felt too uncomfortable to talk about with anyone else. It had been bugging Joey for a while now. He remembered that he had brought it up casually to test the waters.

_"So, now that everything's done and over with, how do you feel?" asked Joey lying on Yugi's hotel bed. _

_"I don't know to be honest. Relieved, I think, is the word that comes most readily to mind," said Yugi over by the desk. He was going over his cards intently underneath the hotel's desk lamp. "How about you?" _

_"Yeah. Ditto." _

_Joey shifted around on the carefully made bed uncomfortably. He knew where he was going with the conversation, but didn't want to get to it too fast. _

_He also was a pretty laid back guy usually, but this time, he minded if Yugi knew a little too much of his business. _

_"Do you mind?" asked Yugi from the desk._

_"I do, actually," he said to himself. "Wait, what!" Did Yugi just read his thoughts? Was this a power of the millennium puzzle that he never told anyone about? _

_"I said do you mind? Do you mind taking your shoes off the bed?" he said looking up at Joey with a surprised expression. "I'm sorry, it's just that you have mud on your shoes, and well… you know?" He thought Joey was angry with him for asking so Yugi shrugged timidly and gave a sheepish smile. _

_"Oh! Yeah, no worries Yug. Sorry. I just, spaced out a little I guess," he said as he quickly kicked his sneakers off onto the floor. Yugi laughed and went back to looking at his cards. _

_"I can tell," Yugi said shaking his head slightly. _

_Joey was still sitting on the side of Yugi's bed. He leaned over so that he could rest both of his elbows on his knees. He looked at the oval antique mirror across from him. Looking back, he saw a young guy wearing a dark green jacket, a white t-shirt and black pants. His thick blond hair was always the messed up pile that it always was. _

_He knew that he had gotten older looking these past two years. He had lost the remainder of the baby fat on his face; enabling his bones to show through. His overall frame was also larger than it was before. He didn't complain or anything, he knew that he had received much more female attention than he had in the past, but something about reciprocating their advances just didn't feel right._

_It was like he had a prudish Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder whenever a girl flirted with him. _

_"But do _you_ forgive everyone for what happened though?" Joey asked in a rush. Yugi looked up from his cards puzzled at first that Joey was asking so many questions, but then he smiled._

_"Of course Joey. I don't blame anyone because it really wasn't in their control," he said before going back to sorting his cards._

_ This was going to take a lot longer than Joey had intentionally hoped._

_"Yeah… I guess," he said, not really knowing how to proceed. They lapsed back into comfortable silence. After a while, however, Yugi caught something unintentional that leaked through Joey's tone and demeanor that made him stop what he was doing and look up. His eyes warmed._

_"Was there something you wanted to talk about Joey?" asked Yugi knowingly. "I didn't mean to cut you off or anything, I just didn't know where you were trying to go."_

_"What! No, no. I was just wondering you know? If, maybe people who were… our friends before… well if they were to come back? Would you still treat them the same?" Joey tried to piece it all coherently as he possibly could without letting it slip._

_Yugi paused for a moment while he looked at Joey. _

_"I would treat them as if they had never left." _

0ooooo0


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So I couldn't resist. I spent a whole day writing and editing so here it is! "Day after updates." Don't think that this negates from the "weekly updates!" This is just me being a dween and not being able to leave my computer. All kidding aside, review, follow, favorite, and most importantly, enjoy!

P.S. Oh, and what! Joey and Mai finnnnnnnaaaaalllllyyyy talk face to face? Read on to see what I'm talking about.

Cheers,

TwentiesGirl

Chapter 6:

"So! I'm starving to get some food. Anyone else in for Burger World?" Duke eventually broke the silence. Everyone agreed relieved for a break in the tension.

"I'll go as long as Joey doesn't hightail and leave me the bill for his shake again!" complained Tristan. Everyone else chuckled.

"I'm sure he won't Tristan, I'll be there to make sure he's a good boy," said Serenity beaming up at Tristan. Immediately he gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head.

Although Joey registered that they were talking, he didn't make any effort to even look in their direction. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she just stood there. She looked calm and collected after her initial shock of seeing them, but something in the way that she stood let him know that she was tense.

"Okay let's go guys," said Duke as everyone trailed along. Everyone left except for Mai and Joey; who didn't even move.

"Aren't you coming too, Mai?" asked Serenity with sadness lighting her eyes. She had walked up to Mai and looked up into her face. Mai seemed surprised at Serenity's unhappiness at her not going. But the look of surprise quickly washed away and her usual calm demeanor was back.

"I'm actually not hungry. You go ahead though Serenity, we'll catch up later," Mai said a little more warmly as she reached out and patted Serenity's shoulder lightly.

"Joey? What about you man? You're coming right?" asked Tristan. Joey knew that Mai was not a favorite of Tristan after everything that had happened. They were close friends, but on the topic of Mai, and that was _if_ they ever talked about her, they went separate ways.

"No you guys go ahead. I'm not hungry. I'll think I'll just stay and talk with Mai for a bit," he said smiling a little bit to himself as he registered her surprised expression. "If that's okay?" he quickly added realizing that her surprise might have been because of him assuming that she wouldn't mind him staying with her. She gave a little shake of her head, causing her long hair to sway around her, and blinked her eyes.

"What! Since when are you ever not hungry? You just said a few minutes ago that— omphf!" Tristan clamped his hands over his ribs. Joey made a mental note to buy Tea something extra nice for Christmas.

"That seems like a great idea! You guys should definitely catch up. Come on let's go," said Tea brightly knowing exactly what was going on.

They were walking away into downtown Domino when Serenity caught up to Tea, looping their arms together.

"What was all that about?" she asked furrowing her eyebrow. Serenity was naïve, but even she picked up something strange going on between Mai and Joey.

"Something wayyyy overdue," spoke Yugi from a few feet behind. He was walking with Tristan and Duke. Tea turned around to meet his eye and they shared a knowing smile.

0ooooo0

Joey watched as his friends left. He had been thinking about this day for the longest time now, but now that he was here, he didn't know how to feel let alone say. He had imagined her at night with the lights turned off staring at the paint chips on the ceiling countless times, but being in front of her was a whole different ball game.

After Joey's friends had left, Mai and Joey just stood there staring at them until they were too small to see. He turned to her and noticed that she still had that faraway look in her eyes. He looked down at her sides and saw that she was nervously twiddling with the hem of her skirt with one hand.

He cleared his throat and smiled when she jumped at the suddenness of the noise. She looked over at him, letting go of her hem. He gave a nervous smile. "So. Mai. You don't mind me hanging out with you for a little while right?"

Mai just looked up at him and shrugged before she went back to stand by the railing.

"I guess not," she said quietly with her back to him.

He looked at her back as she looked out into the sunset. With the exception of this summer, he had always spent every summer at Domino Pier. He and his friends always made it a point to catch the sunset at least a couple times. Now, realized why.

There was something so beautifully unspoken about the sunset at Domino Pier during the summer. The reason why he had liked it so much, he thought, was that there was something calming in knowing that the sun would always set in the horizon where it came from. Just that tidbit of information gave Joey hope about his life.

He walked over to where she was standing and stood next to her casually.

He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye to see what she was doing. Although she was 19, two years older than he, he definitely had her beat in the height department. Over the past year, he had grown three more inches enabling him to hit the six-foot mark. If he had to guess, he was pretty sure she was around 5'6, still pretty tall for a girl. But even in her heels, he was still significantly taller than her, which made him happy. A strange non-friendly thought popped into his head. If they ever hugged, he would be able to rest his chin on her head. The thought gave him a nervous sensation in his stomach. Alright, alright, let's think of something else.

He turned his attention out towards the sea. He noticed how calm the water was and how beautiful the sun looked, casting an almost ghostly reflection on the water.

"I've always liked the way the sun looks just before it sets," Joey started. When Mai looked over at him, he gestured with his chin towards the reflection the sun made on the water.

"I really like how it makes the water so shiny," he kept going. Mai started looking at him as if he were insane.

In some part of his mind, something was telling him that if he just kept going, he'd be able to dig himself out of his already deep and embarrassing hole. It was probably the other Jiminy Cricket; the dumb one that only works weekends.

"And the sky, it looks so red you know? I like the way that it makes everything look so much warmer," he said. "Did you know that the sky gets red because the blue light scattered during the day is too diluted, and the red light normally not scattered much is so spread that we can see it?"

When he had finished talking, he realized he sounded like an idiot. His smile faltered and was replaced with an embarrassed tight-lipped grimace.

"Its… It's called Raleigh Scattering," he gulped as he rubbed his hand against the back of his neck to see how hot it was getting.

"Yugi taught me that last summer," he said finally. "I used to just think the sky got red because the sun got too close and made it hot."

He finally just stopped talking and let the silence sink in. After a while, he looked over at her. She was staring at him with her eyebrows slightly raised. Her lips seemed to be fighting a smile.

"You used to think the sky got red because the sun got too close and made it hot?" Mai asked slowly as her eyes smiled.

He sighed.

"Yeah. I did," he said as he pushed his tongue against he side of his inner cheek. She looked at him intently with her eyes slightly squinted and her head tilted to the side. She bit the side of her bottom lip and let it spring back in place as she grazed it with her teeth.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to break the ice?" Mai asked in a singsong voice.

"I'll concede that the thought of breaking the ice did enter my mind," he said stone faced. "But the material was all me," Joey said looking down at her with a slightly apologetic grin on his face as he ruffled his thick blond hair back.

She nodded slowly and looked down. When Mai looked back up to him, she smiled a small smile that reached her eyes for a second. He breathed out a small sigh of relief. He knew the sun monologue wasn't that bad! Well, maybe.

"Alright, how about we start over," he said hitting the railing slightly with both palms before promptly turning away from her to face the ocean. He began whistling and looking this way and that completely ignoring her.

She furrowed her eyebrows and waited for him, having no idea what he was doing. When she realized that he wasn't going to start speaking again she took a step closer, closing the distance between them, and tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately reacted to her touch and twisted around to face her with a fake surprise expression on his face.

"Oh hey! I didn't see you there! What are you doing back in town?" he asked loudly waving his arms around before settling on his hips. She smiled a smile that bared her teeth this time before quickly covered it with her hand.

"You're so ridiculous Joey," she said as she rubbed her forehead with her fingers and shook her head.

"I haven't seen you in a year and this is the way that I'm greeted?" he said forming fists on his hips and looking down at her with downturned eyebrows and a frown.

"Joey! Stop," she said laughing slightly now as she gently swung backwards and forward while holding the railing with one hand. She looked down towards the ground and shook her head.

"I expected much more from you Ms. Valentine. And I won't stop acting like this until you say 'hi' like a pleasant human being," he said crossing his arms over his chest and stepped in front of her so that his body and the railing encased her.

This time she laughed whole-heartedly and leaned her head back. He smiled. He had forgotten how nice it felt to make her laugh.

When she finally stopped, she looked up into his eyes and blinked a few times before smiling slightly.

"Hi," she said in a small breathy voice. He could tell by the way that her violet eyes were darting back and forth that she was trying to look into both of his eyes at the same time. He stopped messing around and gave her a genuine eye-crinkling smile.

"Hi," Joey said without thinking. They stood there on the pier not saying anything for a few seconds too long before Mai's smile faltered then faded. Her eyes hardened and she cleared her throat, stepping around him carefully to not touch him.

0ooooo0


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I'm baccckkkkk! Did you guys miss me?... Alright I got the hint. Anyways! Here's a new chapter of "The Pier." Review, favorite, and follow if you guys are liking it so far. PM me if you guys have any questions!_

_Cheers,_

_TwentiesGirl_

Chapter 7:

They continued their stance there on the pier. Mai looked at anything other than Joey and he was back to square one. Great.

"It really is nice to see you again Mai. I meant it," Joey said stuffing his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker. She didn't say anything. Mai just kept looking out into the ocean as if she had never heard him.

"I'm not going to lie, I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he said. At his words she shifted her eyes to look at him. A pained expression showed through for a quick second before he immediately stepped in. "Not that I didn't want to! I did. _Trust_ me I did."

"Its just that after a while, I thought that you had moved on," Joey said scratching his temple now. He furrowed his eyebrow. "From me, I mean."

He tried not to, but a sad smiled slipped out unintentionally.

"I just thought that you had moved on to bigger and better things. That maybe that's why you didn't want to come back," he said with an awkward chuckle. He pressed his lips together as he felt a tingling in the back of his throat. He swallowed to keep it down. "I'm. I'm just glad you're back. That's what I'm trying to say Mai."

It was his turn now to look away from her. He heard a shuffling, but didn't turn to look at the direction of the noise. He felt a small, gentle touch on the back of his hand.

"Thank you."

He abruptly looked down at his hand and saw that she had rested her fingers on it lightly. He looked up from her delicate hand to her face. Although she was still guarded, her lips were slightly parted and it seemed as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to form it.

"For saying that, I mean," she finally stammered, blinking a few times before she cleared her throat uncomfortably.

He just continued to look at her then finally nodded.

"Anytime," he said. Even though he hadn't moved his hand, she took it off just as quickly as she had put it on. It almost seemed as if it had never happened. When he'd reflect back on this day in the future, he'd think that it was all wishful thinking.

"So how long are you back for?" Joey asked her. They were finally standing facing each other now.

"I'm back for a while, I guess. I don't know for how long though," Mai said looking down at her hands and playing with a nail.

Joey thought about it and nodded. Okay, so maybe she's not back for good, but a little while is better than nothing. But, _why_ was she back?

"So! Where've you been this past year Mai? Anything exciting happen?" he made sure to form the question casually enough so that she wouldn't think that he was prying.

"I've just been traveling here and there. Nothing worth mentioning though," Mai said shrugging still adverting his eyes.

He nodded. Okay, so maybe she wasn't in the mood to talk. He could've guessed that. As he looked up, she had stopped fidgeting with her hands and looked up at him with cold guarded eyes.

"Look it was really nice to see that you're doing well Joey, but I have to go. It's getting pretty late," she said as she started walking away from him. No phone numbers exchanged. No promises to meet up later. Not even a good-bye. He felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. His eyes widened and instinctively he reached out and grabbed her slim wrist.

She turned around and looked at him as if he were crazy. Her lush mouth was slightly open in shock and her eyes were wide. She opened her mouth to say something, but the shock of him grabbing her physically had put her at a loss for words, leaving her opening and closing her mouth frantically. If he weren't so upset, he probably would have thought it was amusing.

"Just wait, okay? Don't leave yet," he said in a desperate rush.

"Joey! What are you doing?" she asked, shocked that he still hadn't let her wrist go.

"I'm sorry, Mai. I know I'm not saying the right things right now, but just stay and talk to me for a while. Please?" he asked, not caring about civility. He had for long given up on not wanting to seem desperate.

"What part of 'I have to _go_' do you not get?" she said pulling her wrist away from his grasp lightly. After he let go of her wrist, his hand felt as if he had just electrocuted it. What was it about her that made him react this way?

"Just stay, please," he looked at her earnestly. He had both of his hands up and out, showing her that he wouldn't try to touch her again.

Mai looked up at him, still looking unsure. She seemed hesitant to stay.

"Just stay till it gets dark. That's all I'm asking for," he reiterated taking a step closer to her. He realized mid-step that, that was probably not a good idea. He didn't want to scare her away. But, instead of moving back, she looked intently into his eyes. When she finally found whatever it was that she was looking for, she sighed and stepped closer to him, letting him lead her back to the railing where they were standing before.

"You got until the sun sets Wheeler," she said sighing again as they reached their destination.

0ooooo0


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Guess who's back with the longest chapter evvveeerrrrrrr? Me. I just wanted to get this out there during the very stressful and mind damaging time of year known as finals week. Why did I chose this week to update? Because I'm crazy. That, coupled with the fact that I I am deeply devoted to my Pier readers. As always, enjoy, review, and follow if you guys are lovin' this polarshipping couple. _

_Cheers,_

_TwentiesGirl_

Chapter 8:

"So spill it. I want to know everything that you've been doing this past year," Joey asked enthusiastically. He decided that he could only walk around broken egg shells for so long before he just had to dive in and talk to her normally. Mai rolled her violet eyes at him and leaned onto the metal railing with an annoyed expression on her face.

"I _told_ you. It's not an interesting story," she said in a huff. She ran one of her hands through her long blond hair causing it to cascade down her back. She always _did_ have really beautiful hair. Seeing it now so close to him, he just wanted to run his hands through it to see how it would feel between his fingers.

He shook his head trying to rid his mind of those thoughts. What the hell was he thinking? This was Mai we were talking about. Mai! Up until this point, they had just been friends. The most that he could say was that they were _pretty _good friends for a while. She was an attractive girl, but there was no way they were going to be anything _but_ friends.

He repeated that in his mind like a chant.

"Hello? Earth to Joey. I thought that when you said you wanted me to stay and talk to you until sunset, you'd actually want to… I don't know… _talk_?" she looked up at him with a wry look.

Joey quickly cleared his throat gave her an apologetic laugh. "Sorry, I just sorta spaced out there," he said ruefully.

She let out an impatient breath and rolled her eyes towards the heavens before she gave an understanding smile. "I can see that my conversation skills aren't enticing enough to garner your full and attentive attention," she said with a wary look.

"Stop! It's just that its weird seeing you after you've been gone for so long. But I promise! You have my full and undivided attention," he put up his hands signaling to her that he was focused only on her. "So what have you been up to?"

She breathed out a heaving sigh and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"I _told_ you Joey and if you were _listening_ then you would remember that—okay I get the point that you're listening to me Joey you can stop staring and blink," she said incredulously backing up a little. He had opened his eyes wide and tried not to blink.

"Nope, nope. I told you. Full. Undivided attention." She swatted him on the shoulder and he laughed.

"Very funny Joseph and I'll do you a courtesy and repeat myself one last time since you weren't listening. I said that my time away wasn't that interesting."

"Well shouldn't I be the judge of that?" he asked brazenly. She looked up at him and crinkled her eyebrows in amusement.

"I think that you're making it sound a lot more mysterious than it actually was Joseph," she said giving him a lighthearted smirk while putting one hand on her hip.

He leaned back and crossed his arms. "Humor me." She finally relented and rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"I traveled around the world, mainly Europe. You can call it sight-seeing I guess," Mai said as an unintentional faraway look entered her eyes.

Joey's eyebrows furrowed. Was she reminiscing about her time there? Was there _someone_ who was on her mind? The thought was unsettling. He tried to shake the feeling off by running both of his hands through his hair sporadically before he finally matched her position and leaned against the railing.

"And how is that not interesting?" he asked her as he laughed lightly.

"Well what else is there to say about it? I just meant that it wasn't an interesting story," she said giving him a pointed look.

"So uninteresting to you is traveling to the faraway lands of Europe; visiting coliseums and riding the London Eye?" he asked questioningly. "Man, we sure do have different versions of excitement."

"Well to each their own. My time in Europe doesn't exactly make for an interesting story. Maybe _that's_ why I came back," she said superiorly. He surprised her by laughing.

"Pftt. Lame. If I went to Europe, I'd have done a whole buncha interesting stuff," he said chuckling softly. Mai's face took an interesting turn.

Her lips curved into a feline like smile.

"I never said I didn't have an interesting time, just that it didn't make for an interesting story," she said conspiratorially giving him a seductive wink.

He didn't want to, but he blushed. He felt his insides twisting. Okay, now he _had_ to know what she did there. Joey knew that it was none of his business, but the thought of some skinny-pant wearing guy in a beret feeding Mai a baguette made him want to punch the nearest inanimate object.

Even though they were friends, of course.

He cleared his throat and threw out the first question that came to his mind. "You were traveling all year then?" his voice cracking.

"All year," Mai remarked with finality. That seemed to be all she would say on the topic. Joey decided to steer the conversation a different direction.

"You know what I'd do if I got the chance to travel the world?" Joey said mischievously as he leaned in towards her, as if he was going to share a secret. She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Something _interesting_ I'm sure," she muttered.

"Common, stop talking like you aren't eager to know my answer," he said indignantly laughing as he poked her lightly in the shoulder.

"I'm dying of curiosity Joey," she said in a taunting voice with a sassy smirk playing on her lips. He made sure to hesitate before he answered so that she would look forward to what he was going to say.

"I'd take you with me," he said as he gave her a wink of his own. She reacted just how he hoped she would. Mai's cheeks flushed pink and she gasped in embarrassment as her eyes widened. Her little face scrunched up as she wound up her fist and punched him in the shoulder. He pretended in wince in pain as he rubbed his arm with his palm.

"Very funny Wheeler," she uttered before sticking her nose up in the air and turning away from him with her arms crossed. From her profile, he could see that the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

"It made you laugh didn't it?" he jokingly begged, putting his hands up pleadingly as he laughed.

"Well if _that's_ what you're aiming for," she remarked still looking away from him as she tapped her foot. Didn't she know?

"It's my life's mission," Joey murmured close to her ear giving her a cheeky grin before he leaned back to where he was standing.

"Hmp. Laugh it up Joey, and you'll see how you like it when I _really _get angry," she said still cross. He could see from here that she had jutted out her bottom lip and was now giving a very fetching pout.

"I have your word and your time until sunset. So, take a breather and let yourself be charmed," he said as he interlaced his fingers and cracked them in front of him.

"Since when have you become this cheeky Joey?" she asked as she finally turned around. She poked her tongue against the side of her cheek as she squinted her eyes as if she were interrogating him.

"Well let's just say that things have changed since you last saw me," he pronounced giving her a raised eyebrow.

"Really. And what, might I ask, has changed?" she asked him, giving him her _own _raised eyebrow. He had to admit, it _did_ look better on her than it probably did on him. But, he wasn't going to stand down. He took his time giving her the answer. He looked up towards the heavens and scratched his chin with his pointer finger.

"Let's see… Well besides my now rugged manly face and bulging biceps," he paused to raise his arms above his head, rather conveniently, to stretch. She looked incredulous and on the brink of a sweat-drop.

"I think I'll let you see for yourself for mature I've become," he murmured looking intently into her eyes. She met his eyes with a look of alarm at first before flattening it out.

"Hmp. Shouldn't _I _be the judge of that?" she said scoffing as she fixed a scowl on her face.

"Touché," he said with a touch of arrogance before he chuckled to himself. He'd forgotten how much fun it was to tease her.

"Hey, Mai?" he said as he leaned back on the railing with his back and crossed his arms in front of him. He brought his eyebrows together as he thought about how he should shape his next words.

"Yes, Joey?" she said expectantly as she slightly tipped her head onto its side.

"So, you've been gone for a while," he began, realizing halfway how stupid he probably sounded. Of course she would know how long it's been, she's the one that's been gone.

"Your point?" she asked a smirk forming on her face as she flipped her hair back behind her.

"Well, what I'm trying to ask is… why?" he said to her. It probably seemed like the dumbest question to ask, but he wanted to know. What was she trying to accomplish by leaving for so long? But more importantly, what's going to happen now that she's back? "Why are you back, I mean?"

"What? You don't want me here?" she snorted. He could see that it was as evasive of an answer as could be.

"Don't say that. You know there's nothing more that I'd want then to have you around for good," he muttered glaring at her. She just gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"That's nice of you to say that Joey," Mai said dispassionately. Her words seemed force.

"I mean it when I say that, Mai," he said with a little more vigor. "I'm not just trying to be a nice guy over here."

She gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes and just nodded. He could tell that she still didn't believe him. Rather than make a fool out of himself and pour his feelings all over her, he just sighed and shook his head. She's always been so stubborn.

"We missed you though. No lie," he said in gentle resignation.

"Joey, you make it sound like as if we were joined at the hip. We never hung out _that _much you know?" Mai said pointed as she put a fist onto her hip.

"Yeah I know, but you were around for all the important stuff. It's a little mean of you to take yourself out of the equation when you had finally gotten us used to having you around," he said leaning back onto the railing and crossing his arms defiantly.

"Yeah, whatever," she said smirking and turning back to stare out at the ocean. And at that, he couldn't help but laugh. She turned to him immediately, looking at him as if he had started stripping right there on the pier. He couldn't stop though. He laughed until he was bent over grabbing his stomach.

"What _is_ so funny Joseph?" she said. He started to settle down, but chose not to tell her why he was laughing yet. If there was anything Mai hated more than anything, it was being left out of the loop.

He noticed that her face was getting pink with frustration and that only made him laugh harder. She reached out with her slim arm and shoved his shoulder trying to get him to tell her what was going on.

He finally settled down and released a long breath. "Ahhh. Now that was definitely the highlight of my day."

"What? What were you laughing about?" she asked angrily as she bunched up her fists at her sides. This was way too much fun for him to stop.

"Oh nothing. So did you bring back any souvenirs from Europe?" he said nonchalantly which only made her fists shake.

"Joey! This is not funny. Tell me what you were laughing about now!" she said foaming at the mouth. She was so angry that she walked up right to his face and looked up at him with a furious expression. He took his time and toyed with her.

"Okay, fine," he relented with a sigh.

"It's just that—and don't take this the wrong way, but you are _the_ most hardheaded girl I have _ever _met," he said chuckling. A wide smile was still firmly on his face.

Her anger evaporated. She looked like she was trying to smile, but hid it. He noticed that her nose wrinkled. "I guess complete and utter honesty receives a "whatever" in this day and age right?'" he said still shaking his head. He couldn't help but let out another chuckle. This time she laughed too. "You sure do know how to put a guy to work, Mai."

"Well did you really expect any less? Hard-headedness is my specialty," she asked good-humoredly. "And I guess flattery—"

"Complete and utter honesty," he corrected.

"Flattery," she said sternly while crossing her arms. "Works well depending on who you use it on."

"So you're saying that you don't like hearing nice things Mai?" he asked in suspicious disbelief tilting his head towards her.

"I'm not the kind of girl that is won by flattery and praise," she said lightly, but there was a serious undercurrent to her tone that he caught.

"Oh, so how _does_ one win the heart of the hard-headed Ms. Valentine?" he asked gently.

She was silent for a moment as she contemplated this.

"Actions," she said sternly. "Intentions need to be proved through actions."

Truer words have never been spoken. Mai always seemed like the kind of girl that had been through a lot. What? He didn't have a clue. But one thing he was sure of, was that if there ever came a day where Mai settled down, she would have to find a guy that treated her really well. She deserved it.

"I'll keep that in mind if I ever decide I want to win you over," Joey said lightly.

"Don't waste your time. I'm not exactly a prize," she muttered and turned back to face the ocean. He rolled his eyes even though she couldn't see.

"Oh and did I ever mention that you're hard-headed?" he said loudly.

"You forgot difficult. I get that a lot too," she said smiling, still not looking at him.

"You could have fooled me. Mother _did_ always say never trust anything that is too pretty to be true," he said solemnly raising a hand in a mock Boy Scout pose. "Should have listened to her."

She punched him again, this time in his chest. Mai laughed and he joined in with her.

"Mama's boy," she teased.

They both stayed silent for a while afterwards, still getting used to the warmth that was radiating between them from laughing. He finally looked over at Mai.

"All kidding aside, you were missed. Don't hit me!" he inserted as he noticed her glazed expression. He put both of his hands up in defense. "Honest. We did. I wasn't lying when I said that it wasn't the same."

"Oh come on, now you're just trying to get me to stay after sunset," she said rolling her eyes. He was about to interject when she started again, "I'm sure Tristan and Duke missed having me around _so _much they didn't know what to do with themselves."

"Alright fine, maybe Tristan could warm up to you a little more, but Duke definitely doesn't hate you," he said running his hand through his messy blond hair.

"Tristan _hates_ me?" she asked widening her eyes. Uh oh. He definitely didn't want to make her upset. He started to backtrack.

"No! That's not what I meant. What I _meant_ to say was that Tristan likes you, he could just warm up, you know? I mean not that he feels… cold about you or anything. It's just that—," she put her hands over Joey's mouth.

"I'm kidding Joey. You don't have to have an aneurism," she said a smile pulling up one side of her mouth. Joey stopped, but not before realizing at a rather very inconvenient time how nice her hand felt on his face (even though it was covering his mouth). His brown eyes softened as he noticed how pretty her face was, basked in the light of sunset. Underneath her hand, he smiled. She began to smile too as she left her hand on his face for a moment longer than socially acceptable. However, when she realized what she was doing, she quickly removed it and turned to face the ocean avoiding his glance. Her reaction just made him smile even bigger.

"You know, it was weird not having you around too?" he started, plopping down on the railing getting comfortable.

"And why is that Joseph? Nobody could really take the place of my difficult hard-headedness quite the same?" she asked sweetly still avoiding his eyes, even though he wasn't looking at her anymore. He raised his shoulders.

"Trust me, there wouldn't be a competition. I don't think anyone could out-difficult you," Joey muttered. "And I don't know. Seemed like too much of a dude fest," he said seriously. She scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion.

"What do you mean by that? Tea and Serenity were still around weren't they?"

"Serenity left to go back to our mother," he stated.

"What about Tea?" she asked confusion coloring her face.

"Tea's pretty much a dude," he said laughing. She snorted making him turn to look at her.

"I'm sure Tea would _love_ to hear that you guys consider her a dude," she said sarcastically.

"Well, maybe not _all _of us," he said with an easy smile. She looked confused for a moment as the gears in her head were grinding. When it finally dawned on her, she smiled.

"Oh yeah, are they finally together now?" Mai asked honestly, looking interested.

"Nope, still as stubborn and sexually tense as always," he said shaking his head. That made her laugh.

"When are those too going to get a clue?" Mai said shaking her head in disbelief.

"I have no idea. I just hope that I'll be there to be the best man," Joey said. This time she threw back her head and laughed.

"I'll throw the rice," Mai said. Joey chuckled. They were facing each other now as they both leaned with one arm on the railing. They both looked down at the ground smiling for a while before Mai looked up at Joey.

"Isn't he like five inches shorter than her?" she asked quietly, leaning closer to him as if they were here listening.

He laughed out loud.

"Yeah, but that obviously doesn't stop them from finding each other attractive," he said. He knew that they were an odd-looking couple, well if they ever plucked up the nerve to get together, but he also knew that no one would ever care for Tea more than Yugi and that was what love boiled down to, he guessed.

Mai's eyebrows furrowed together and she pursed her lips.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," she said sighing. "But _I_ don't think I could ever do that though. Date someone so much shorter than me you know? Not that I'm superficial or anything!"

She sounded timid, like he was going to judge her or something. Instead, he laughed and shook his head vehemently holding up a hand.

"Don't worry Mai, I'm way with you on that one. It's nice that Yugi and Tea care so much for each other and everything, but I don't think that I could date a girl if she were taller than me."

"Me neither," she said wrinkling her nose.

"Besides, I like it when girls are shorter than me," he stated comfortably leaning against the railing. "I think it's attractive."

"You think so?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah! One hundred percent. I don't think there's anything nicer about being a guy than being able to look down into a girl's face when you're talking to her."

She blushed lightly, almost too lightly for him to notice. She cleared her throat before speaking again.

"Yeah, I like guys that are taller than me too," she nodded.

He smiled because of the truth in his words as he looked down into her face.

"And in all honesty though, with what we were talking about before, she's just been our friend for so long that we don't really see her as a girl anymore. In the best sense you know?" he said.

"What does that mean about me then? You still think I'm a girl?" she said smirking as she twirled a lock of hair between her fingers. She probably wasn't doing it on purpose, but he got warm nonetheless. He rubbed his cheeks to try to cool them down.

"Well maybe you should stick around and see the diagnosis for yourself doc," he said with a raise of his eyebrow. The lighthearted teasing atmosphere between them evaporated. Mai turned silent.

"I don't think that's the best idea Joey," she said quietly before looking down again. When she looked back up, her expression was back to being its usual guarded self.

"Well, why not?" he asked solemnly. He leaned in to see her expression up close.

"I think that'll just make things uncomfortable. For everyone," she said getting serious. Her eyes darted back and forth looking down at the floor. "And I don't think I want to do that."

"Who'd be uncomfortable?" he asked swinging his arms back until they were behind his head. "If there's anything I know, I know that you got along with all of them before didn't you." Obviously that didn't sway her. She just stayed quiet. "And in all honesty, who cares them anyway?" He knew that, that was a stretch, but he wanted to make a point.

"Joey! They're your friends aren't they?" she asked surprised at his reaction.

"Yeah, but I'm bein' realistic here. We're not all joined to the hip," he said repeating the same words that she had said earlier. Only this time, something flew into his eye right at that moment.

"Ah! Get it out!" he yelled frantically rubbing his eyeball.

She covered her mouth with her hand in alarm as she watched him.

"Are you okay Joey?" she asked him.

He finally got it out. Turns out it was a feather. He breathed heavily for a couple of seconds before he finally calmed down.

"Never better," he said giving a sheepish grin. He cleared his throat a few times.

"Seriously though, as much as I love those guys, we don't spend every waking moment together. We all have our own things going on now since we are older."

"Oh really? And what does this full and exciting life consist of Mr. Grownup?" she said with a small smile lighting her face.

"Oh you know the usual. Getting into high speed chases, dating supermodels, saving small children from muggers," he said, counting the things off on his hand.

She giggled and shook her head.

"Seems like some typical 17 year old boy activities," she nodded solemnly.

"Exactly, so now that we've established that I live a completely interesting and separate life from my friends, you have no excuse but to hang out with me once in a while," he said pretending to be stubborn and crossing his arms tightly against his chest.

"Hmmmm. I don't know how I would fit into this jet setting, crime solving, supermodel-dating world that you are so accustomed to," she said unsurely stroking her chin with her pointer finger.

"I'm sure that I can squeeze you in once in a while for an appointment," he said seriously sounding as if he had to contemplate it. That evoked a smile from her.

"I'll be waiting breathlessly," she said with mock affectation as she put both of her hands onto her chest like a soap-star. He laughed and raked his hand through his hair.

"Besides," knowing that he was going to get a reaction out of her before he even said his next words, "In all honesty I miss having another blond around." He couldn't help but smile as he finished off his sentence. Immediately she gasped and turned to him.

"Very funny Joey!" she said surprised at his sudden confidence. More than anything, she seemed angrier that she was getting embarrassed.

"What can I say? I'm partial to blonds," he said shrugging while looking down at her with an easy smile and a laugh.

"Well aren't you just the Casanova today," she said turning her head up and away from him as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Standing there on the pier with her, he realized something. Maybe nothing will ever happen between them, and in all seriousness, nothing probably ever will. Fate had a funny way of putting two people together. If they were meant to be, then it would just happen. And by the way things were looking, he was pretty sure that fate was not on his side when it came to Mai.

But, making her laugh and joking around brought him more happiness than he had ever felt in a long time. And if being her friend meant feeling this, then he wouldn't mind that one bit.

0ooooo0


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Oh my loveliesss! Its been way too long. Just as a forewarning, this is going to probably be the longest break as well as author's note that I'm going to write. First off, I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season, no matter where you celebrated. If any of you are curious about mine, let me just say that I ate enough food to feed Joey for a week. Secondly, I wanted to give a MAJOR shout out to one of my reviewers and ALL-TIME favorite fanfic writers, Jensti, for reviewing "The Pier." If any of you guys are not familiar with her work, I suggest that after you finish this chapter (and review it of course :p) that you immediately check out her stories "The Lift" and "The Chase." As a finicky reader myself, I can honestly say that they are on my list of top 5 favorite stories of all time. Okay, now thirdly? Are we on number three? This chapter was indeed difficult to write merely because of the direction the story is taking. Although I stated that this was a MaixJou fanfic, let me just forewarn readers that this doesn't automatically mean that I am going to pair them together. i believe that they are independent and three dimensional characters and deserve to have their story play out as it might have if the series continued. Nevertheless, I'm soooooo happy to be back and promise that I will never take a month long hiatus again._

Cheers,

TwentiesGirl

Chapter 9:

"So how was the Grand Prix?" she asked raising her eyebrows. Her voice made him jump slightly. Obviously, his mind was elsewhere.

"Sorry, come again?" he shook his head and gave her a small smile in apology.

"Grand Prix? Dueling competition? Ring a bell?" Mai asked, looking up at him with a glint in her eyes.

"You know about that! How'd you hear?" His excitement was feasible as a wide smile brightened his boyishly rugged face.

"Word gets around," she stated nonchalantly.

"Wow. You should've come! Didn't you know you were invited?" Joey asked, excitement brimming in his voice. It was the polite thing to say of course, but something about the thought of him wanting her there made her feel warm inside.

"Dueling competitions are not really my scene anymore if you know what I mean. I need a little more estrogen in my life," she said leaning back against the railing to face him head on.

He raised a quizzical brow and crossed his arms across his chest. "Since when did you like hanging out with girls? Last I remember you hated it."

Mai chuckled through her nose and crossed her arms as well. "Last _I _remember there's a lot about me that you still don't know."

He rolled his eyes. "That aside, you don't exactly strike me as the type to have slumber parties and gossip about boys," he said indignantly.

She laughed and gave a concurring tilt of the head. "Alright you got me there." She was growing used to their quick banter. "In all honesty, I'm tired of that spiky haired twerp beating me every time," she ended bluntly.

Joey laughed warmly. "I knew I wasn't the only one!" He raised his hand and gave her a good-natured high five.

Mai giggled at his response. "Nice to know how you_ really_ feel about your best friend. I wonder what you say about me when I'm not here."

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Joey muttered with an unreadable expression. Mai scrunched her eyebrows wondering if that constituted as a compliment or an insult.

"What were we even talking about right now?"

"We were talking about my shining brown eyes and how they sparkle like the stars," he said as he gave an affected smoldering expression and even threw in a wink for good measure. That evoked a small laugh from her.

"I highly doubt that I would forget such an enticing conversation."

"Well that's the disadvantage of being the one who forgets, you've gotta trust the other person to pick up the pieces."

"Very enlightening. Did you get that from a fortune cookie?"

"Well you know they _do_ make the most reliable sources for references," Joey finished with a mischievous smile. Mai's lips hinted at a smile as she observed the ease in which he was able to deal with her insults.

She didn't say anything for few moments afterwards, merely looking down to study his shoes.

"I've rather always thought that they looked more like molten chocolate than stars," she murmured before she looked up into his eyes. He stared back at her as a light blush crept onto his cheeks. Instinctively, a short hysterical laugh burst out from his lips. A sincere smile overtook her face. It made her a little giddy inside to know that she could evoke such a reaction from him. And that giddiness help underplay the sensation she felt telling him the truth.

"I'm kidding. I can give you a taste of your own medicine too, Casanova," she grinned cheekily as she winked at him. Internally, he released a breath.

"How touching of you to repay the favor," he murmured sarcastically. "And for your information I wasn't trying to make fun of you," he pointed out.

"Oh? So you were purposeful forward?"

"No! I mean it's your call," Joey stated casually, stretching his arms above his head. "But if that's forward to you, you should see it when I _really_ try to flirt with someone."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure, Joey. Supermodels don't cling onto you for nothing," she added.

She smirked and shook her head, rolling her eyes. She walked around him to get a closer view of the dolphins that were playing near the shore. Coincidentally, this also placed her within touching distance, causing Joey to unintentionally breathe in Mai's fragrance. Instantaneously, his body hardened.

It smelled sweet, like vanilla. Did the rest of her smell that way too? He felt an urge to sweep her hair over her shoulder to see if the aroma was sweeter on her neck. He clenched his jaw and stepped away to distance himself from her, although every bone in his body resisted.

"Do they always want to get this close?" Mai asked, still bent over looking at the dolphins.

"Not usually, although today it seems as though they can't stay away," he muttered hoarsely. Since when had his body reacted this strongly to a girl? He was a relatively young guy there was no doubt about it, but he definitely wasn't an innocent. But although he had seen a girl or two in the past that made his body clench uncomfortably, no sensation he had ever felt was as strong as the one he experienced when Mai was around.

"Hmmm. Interesting," she remarked, still intrigued by the entertaining little mammals.

"So what have you been up to for real though, huh Valentine?" Joey asked. He was giving it his best effort to keep his eyes away from her neck. It was the first time in his life that a neck, _a neck_ for god's sake, made him feel like the biggest dirt bag for staring. But for some reason, it did things to him. Things that would probably scare Mai into leaving Domino for good and not casting a farewell glance.

"What do you mean?" Mai asked cautiously. She was still bending over the pier.

"Yeah, all this time away. What have you been doing? I don't pin you down as the type to sit around and twiddle your fingers."

"Since when did you decide to take so many liberties?" she asked, playfully evading the question while brushing a lock of hair away from her face. He shrugged, giving her a roguish grin.

"I don't know Mai. Since you know so much about what _I've _been doing this past year, supermodels and all, I just thought I'd return the favor and ask you," he said, grin getting bigger.

"Touché, and I've been traveling around Europe," she said flipping her hair behind her.

"Oh really?" he said, rolling his eyes. "Well isn't that just a burst of new information?" he muttered irritably.

She smiled her sweetest smile. "Well you said you wanted to know."

"Something I didn't know _already_ would be nice," he grumbled as he narrowed his eyes.

"Well then you should clarify," she said mockingly sweet. Mai stopped her stubborn tirade and peeked at him through the corner of her eye. She could tell by the way he hung his head endearingly towards her that he was honestly curious about where she's been. She sighed; being a jerk felt pretty jerky right at that moment. "Let's just say that there are too many stories to tell. And by the way the sun's looking, we don't really have too much time," she ended with a sad smile.

"What? Did you meet a guy or something?" he asked jokingly, as if a negative answer was obvious. Although she didn't, "meet a guy" as he so charmingly put it, she raised her eyebrow.

"What if I did?" she asked quietly and calmly, crossing her arms across her chest. Immediately his face fell and his lips formed a line. "There wouldn't be anything wrong with that would there?"

He gulped audibly.

"No, of course there wouldn't be! I was just shocked. You just don't seem like the kind of girl who would fall so quick for a guy," he muttered, shrugging. He was trying to adapt a nonchalant tone, but somehow the frog in his throat made it come out a little more solemn then he'd intentioned.

"Would it matter? I think I'm old enough at 19 to meet a man aren't I?" she asked lightly, tilting her head to the side. "Definitely older than your tender 17 years and you're dating supermodels left and right."

He ignored the joke.

"I guess. It would just be weird is what I'm sayin'," he said as he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. There was a moment of silence before she spoke.

"You wouldn't happen to be jealous would you Joseph?" she inched forward and leaned up to look at him directly in the face. He turned beet red and almost had a spasm.

"What! Me! Why would _I_ get jealous?" he laughed. Although he couldn't get it to seem quite right, leaving it sound misplaced.

"It's just that you're acting weird," she shrugged her shoulders delicately. She looked up at him with genuine confusion coloring her expression. He didn't put it past her to act innocent just to mess with him, but something in the way that her eyes darted back and forth between his made him believe her.

"No! Absolutely not. Never. I'd be fine with it if you started… dating men," he said, gulping as he finished.

"You mean _continuing_ to datemen," she bent over the railing to look see how far up they were from the ocean. "I'm 19 Joey, I've dated men before."

She chuckled as she finished her statement. However, she immediately stopped when she heard the soft growl eliciting from the back of his throat.

"I get it. You're 19. I know nothing about your love life and you're perfectly free to date whoever the hell you want," he muttered loud enough for her to hear.

Mai looked up with an expression of complete incomprehension on her face.

Something heated up inside him. It wasn't fury, but it definitely was not a good feeling. Who was he to get jealous if she was dating men? He wasn't her boyfriend, heck, he didn't even know if he could really consider himself her friend.

But why then, if he wasn't jealous, that at the thought of some stranger sweeping Mai's hair back to kiss her neck, he felt like wringing to death the nearest inanimate object.

0ooooo0


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: That's right! Your eyes are not deceiving you. Two chapters in two days! I've been writing like a madman. If you guys want to know the depth of it, lets just say that I have the sequel to the Pier as well as the sequel to the Pier's sequel already plotted out. So without further ado... Here is the next chapter in the MaixJou saga!_

_Cheers,_

_Twenties Girl_

Chapter 10:

Mai chuckled nervously. She had no idea why Joey was acting this way. But like any smart woman, she had for long accepted that there were aspects of the male species that would never make sense to her.

"You know, you were probably my first real friend? Well, male one anyway," she said, settling back onto the railing. She looked up at him from her position and gave him a slightly embarrassed smile.

"What do you mean by that Mai? I'm sure a lot of men wanted to be your friend," he muttered, obviously still a little angry about her previous "I've dated men before" comment. He can probably name at least a handful of men that wanted to be her "friend" right here on the pier.

"You know how it goes. Well, actually maybe you don't," she retracted, thinking about how she should go forth to explain her situation. His eyes crinkled in amusement at her loss for words.

"Come on Mai, spit it out, it can't be that hard."

"Okay, okay! It's like this. All my life I've felt that everyone always wanted something from me. I never really got along with girls as you have so aptly noticed, and men… well, it was just hard that's what I'm trying to say."

Joey leaned back and crossed his arms. He knew what she was trying to aim at, but he decided to play dumb to weasel more information out of her.

"Why was it hard?" he asked, feigning naivety.

"Joey! You know how men can be," she said, giving him a raise of the eyebrow as well as a smirk; indicating that it was obvious he knew what she was talking about. Joey grinned at how sharp witted she was.

"I guess I can imagine," he murmured. She let out a heavy breath.

"I mean it's just every single time I think I found a man who doesn't want me because they think I'm some airheaded blond," she went on breathlessly before stopping with a hurt expression in her eyes. "Let's just say I always get proven wrong."

Joey didn't speak for a beat. He never thought about how Mai felt when it came to all the male attention she constantly received. He knew exactly how _he_ felt. But she was always so confident, even arrogant at times; that he never bothered to think that it might be uncomfortable for her too.

"I guess you can say that I'm glad I found in you someone who just thinks of me as just one of the guys, if you know what I mean," she said before giving him a sincere smile. Joey laughed and nudged her foot with his own.

"I don't know if I'd go that far. You do still have that blond thing going for you in my book," he teased. She punched his shoulder good-hearted and giggled before turning away as she felt a blush heating her cheeks. "Kidding aside though, I'm glad you found me Mai. You can count on me to not make you uncomfortable," he said as he looked down at her with an earnest expression.

"Hmmm, so what was with the little Casanova act earlier then?" she pursed her lips. She was being playful, he knew, but he wanted to make a point.

"I was just messing around earlier. If stuff like that really makes you feel uncomfortable, then I promise I won't do it anymore," he said. He sounded more serious than ever. The last thing he wanted was to be one of Mai's "admirers."

He realized as her smirk disappeared from her face and her hand fell from her hip that she had believed him.

"Hey," she said softly. "You don't make me uncomfortable Joey," she said getting closer to him. She put her small hand on his shoulder. "If anything, you're one of the only guys I know that I can actually be myself with."

He looked at her and sighed. "Thanks Mai," he said. "And I'm here for you. Remember that! If any creep tries to make you do anything that you don't want to do, you can always count on me to be there to wipe the floor with him alright?"

She rolled her eyes, but he knew she wasn't angry. "Thanks for the offer Joey, but I can take care of myself."

"Look, I'm not saying you can't, but I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone anymore," he said. She stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What did you say Joey?" she asked half-dazed. He didn't know if he had said the right thing, or if she was upset that he was overstepping. Either way, he couldn't back out now.

"I just said that you're not alone anymore," he reiterated. She continued to look at him with a faraway in her violet eyes. Eventually she nodded.

"That's what I thought you said."

Where had she heard that before?

0ooooo0


End file.
